First Review

We’re having one of those days. The big storm missed us northerners yesterday, but we’re getting the tail end of it today it in the shape of icy winds and rain. We then learned that for some reason best known to herself, Her Indoors threw her dentures in the dustbin. Accidentally, of course. We found out ten minutes after the bin wagon had collected the week’s rubbish. Au revoir dentures, adieu a few hundred quid for new ones.

Still it’s not all bad news. The Deep Secret got its first review today.

When we talk about customer reviews, we tend to think of Amazon and Goodreads, but they’re not the be-all and end-all.

The Deep Secret was released last Friday and put up a creditable performance in the Amazon UK hard-boiled crime chart. As usual, after that first rush, it’s settled down, but it’s still waiting for its first review on Amazon. That’s fair comment. At getting on for 94,000 words, it’s not the kind of book you read in one sitting.

Never let it be said, however, that Jane Bwye allows such trivia stop her. I’m guesting today on her blog and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Jane had not only read the book in two marathon sittings, but had also left a review of The Deep Secret on the next page.

I’m quite circumspect when it comes to reviews. They’re nice when you get a good one, not so nice when you get a bad one. I never solicit them, and I do prefer them to be honest. Once again, I can’t fault Jane for that. Her review of The Handshaker, the prequel to The Deep Secret, was quite candid: she found the opening scenes revolting, and said so. More power to your elbow, dear lady.

Does it upset me when people say things like that? No. Some authors, I know, get quite angry, frustrated, tearful or depressed when they read such reviews, but I’m not one of them. Instead, I think of all the books I’ve read, music I’ve listened to and movies I’ve seen, and I ask myself how many have I openly panned as rubbish? Quite a lot, I suspect. When I do so, I’m expressing my opinion and when a reviewer comes along and pastes one of my books, they’re doing exactly the same. Who was it that said, “I don’t agree with one word you’re saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”? That’s how I feel about reviews. They may be irritating, but so long as they’re not personal, everyone is entitled to their say.

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The Deep Secret is published by Crooked Cat and available for download in all e-book formats from Amazon, Smashwords and Crooked Cat Books, and in paperback from Amazon.

Click here to read Jane Bwye’s review of The Deep Secret.

Jane Bwye’s Breath of Africa is published by Crooked Cat and available for download in all e-book formats from Amazon, Smashwords and Crooked Cat Books, and in paperback from Amazon.